By Troy Torres
While Sen. Joanne Brown and reporter Chris Barnett have focused their attacks on the seaport on the hiring of Frankie Rosalin - a man who plead to a misdemeanor charge of official misconduct in 2018 - they have both ignored Ms. Brown's hiring of a federal felon still on probation, and her promotion of a thief and hooker briber.
In February 2017 Andrew Castro was released from federal prison after serving his sentence for Conspiracy to Distribute more than 50 grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, a violation of federal law codified at 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846. Shortly after his return to Guam from federal prison, on October 16, 2017, he was hired by the seaport's then-general manager, Joanne Brown, in an unclassified position as a casual stevedore despite still being on federal probation with an ankle monitor. The seaport's human resources office raised these facts to Ms. Brown before his hire, and she approved it anyway. She then permanized him in the position. He is still serving the five-years supervised release portion of his sentence.
Mr. Castro's family is politically connected. His father is retired police captain Larry Castro from Mangilao.
Andrew Castro is the man caught on two surveillance videos trying to break down the door to his neighbor, Gene Estrellado's home in early January last year. A police dispatch officer initially mocked Mr. Estrellado, when he called for help. The victim took his grievances to the media, and the police eventually bent to public pressure and arrested Mr. Castro. He was then and still is an employee at the seaport, who is there because Joanne Brown hired him.
Mr. Rosalin is not a felon. He is not on probation. He does not where an ankle monitor. He has not since been arrested. And he is not caught on any surveillance footage trying to break in to someone's home.
Andrew Castro is not the only convict who prospered because of Joanne Brown, when she was general manager of the seaport.
In 2001, Paul Salas was convicted of official misconduct, a lesser charge he plead to after he was caught bribing a prostitute on the docks of the seaport for $50.
Mr. Salas was hired back at the seaport, and in 2014 became one of the Calvo Tenorio village leaders for Merizo.
Joanne Salas Brown knew Paul Salas had a criminal conviction for official misconduct yet she placed him as Acting Safety Administrator. While holding that position he was arrested by port police on September 21, 2014 for stealing toilet paper from the port. She did not terminate him. In fact, she did not even serve him with a proposed notice of adverse action for that arrest.
Mr. Rosalin has not been arrested for stealing from the agency he works for, or for any other reason since his hire. Yet, Ms. Brown and Mr. Barnett can't stop talking about him, despite Ms. Brown's shady history of hiring that actually has come to the detriment of the seaport's operations.
In fact, the Calvo administration was littered with high-ranking officials who were convicted federal felons. Mr. Barnett, who works for a Calvo-owned news station, never said a word in those days.
